Trade For Love
by miss-lily-lupin
Summary: Draco is being a jerk again. He decides to take Ginny's journal as a practical joke on the youngest Weasley. But what started out as a joke could turn into something more... DG Warning!


"Oh, come now. They've got to have it somewhere." Ginny whispered to herself as she scanned the many books on the shelf. The Hogwarts Library was helpful, but it wasn't what you would call organized. How Ginny ever knew where anything was in here, was a mystery to even herself yet she knew that the book, When The Sun Sets: Vampires and other nocturnal creatures, had to be down this isle somewhere. She nearly cried out in triumph as she found it wedged in between two other books. Ginny took the book and walked back over to her study table. As she sat down, she noticed that not all of her books were still there. A bit frantic, Ginny began to shuffle through her books looking for one that wasn't there.  
  
"Looking for this?" Came a drawling voice from the closest isle.  
  
Ginny let a very frustrated sigh escape her lips as she turned to face the speaker. "What do you want, Malfoy?"  
  
"Oh. Nothing. I just couldn't help but notice that you seemed to be looking for a book, and I just so happened to have found this one." Malfoy said with a smirk as he held up her journal.  
  
Ginny pressed her tongue against the back of her teeth as a way to control her famous Weasley temper. After making sure that she wasn't going to bite his head off, she said quite calmly, "Give me back my book, or I will personally rip your head off."  
  
"Oh, threatening me now, are you? Not very wise when I own something of yours, now is it? I was actually going to give it to you if you asked nicely." Malfoy said grinning triumphantly.  
  
Ginny balled her fist up, but just let her nails dig into her palms. Unlike Ron, she could control her anger. "Could I have my book back?" Malfoy only stood there grinning at her. "Could I have my book back please?" Ginny said through gritted teeth.  
  
"Hmm. I don't know. You ask so well, but I like to see you suffer. All of your precious secrets in the hand of your enemy, how does it feel?" Ginny didn't answer. "Don't feel like talking? Fine, I think I'll read it first, and then give it to you." Malfoy told her maliciously.  
  
"Stupid Ferret!" Ginny shouted, letting her anger get the better of her. "Give me my damn journal!" Maybe shouting wasn't the best way to get things done, Ginny realized as Malfoy's eyes narrowed and he tucked her journal protectively under his arm.  
  
"There's no way you're getting the book now, Weasel." Malfoy glared at her and was about to stalk off when Madam Pince came over.  
  
"Who's been shouting?" She asked with her hands on her hips.  
  
"Weasley has, Madam." Malfoy answered smoothly, looking rather smug at the moment.  
  
"Miss Weasley! How many times do I have to tell you? No shouting! This is the last time! Detention for you!" Madam Pince continued to scold even as Malfoy walked out of the library, shooting one last glare at the youngest Weasley before disappearing down the corridor.  
  
* * *  
  
Detention! I got detention! All because of that stinking Malfoy! I'll get him back! I will. I should probably owl Fred and George, they'll know some good revenge techniques. Ginny's thoughts raced through her head at a mile a minute as she scrubbed the dungeons. Madam Pince had to go to Snape, of all people, to get a suitable detention. suitable all right. She yells in the library and she has to clean the dungeons, top to bottom.  
  
Ugh! This is all Malfoy's fault! Maybe I should sneak a canary cream into his porridge. That would be awesome. Canary Malfoy! Ginny laughed out loud at the mental image. She continued to scrub the last part of the dungeons as she came up to an odd painting. As she scrubbed underneath it, a piece of parchment caught her attention.  
  
Intrigued, Ginny picked up the parchment and looked over. An evil grin spread across Ginny's face as she read over the letter. No need to contact Fred and George thought Ginny happily as she stuffed the parchment in her soiled robes. Looks like getting my revenge will be much easier than I had expected.  
  
With one last scrub across the ground, she announced the dungeons spotless and nearly raced through the corridors as she mentally planned on what she was going to say the next time she faced Malfoy.  
  
* * *  
  
"Revenge is sweet, isn't it, Malfoy?" Ginny asked as she leaned on the wall. Malfoy had just passed her without giving her a second glance, and she thought it would be fun to play with him a bit before actually telling him of what she had.  
  
"Don't know what you are on about, Weasley." Malfoy spat as he began to walk off again, but Ginny stepped in front of him to block his way.  
  
"Especially the type of revenge that involves blackmail, wouldn't you agree, Malfoy?" She could tell that it was working. He was getting annoyed and didn't have a clue what she was on about.  
  
"Move." He said forcefully. She didn't even flinch.  
  
"How would you feel if you were blackmailed, Malfoy?" Ginny said making sure to add his name at the end of every sentence just to annoy him.  
  
"What are you talking about?" He asked through gritted teeth.  
  
Okay, I think he's mad. Time to drop the bomb. "I have a certain letter of yours, Malfoy. And unless you give me back my journal, I will be sure that everyone in this school sees this letter."  
  
"You don't have anything." Malfoy said with more confidence then he was showing.  
  
"Oh, don't I?" Ginny said mischeviously as she pulled out a piece of parchment from her robe pocket. "Dear Son, You got a WHAT on your exam? If you get that bad of a grade again, you will be a disgrace to the Malfoy name. You had better not."  
  
Ginny couldn't continue for the simple fact that the parchment had suddenly caught fire. The fire didn't even burn her fingers and she just let the parchment turn to ashes in her palm as she rolled her eyes.  
  
"You actually think that that was the only copy?" Ginny snorted. "You really are a disgrace to the Malfoy name."  
  
"You're bluffing." He snarled. Why does he think that I'm lying? Actually, it is much more like for him to be hoping that I'm lying. Ginny grinned at the thought as she once again pulled an identical piece of parchment from her robe pocket.  
  
"Am I?" She asked in a false sweet tone.  
  
Malfoy growled in rage and finally gave in. "Fine. I'll give you your stupid diary back, as long as you promise to give me every single copy of that letter."  
  
Ginny's eyes narrowed, "It's a journal, you idiot, and meet me at the lake tomorrow by eleven, or else everyone gets a copy of your precious letter by lunchtime."  
  
Fuming, Malfoy snarled, "Fine. See you then."  
  
* * *  
  
Little girl, indeed! Ginny thought angrily as she looked back over her shoulder at Ron who was back in a conversation with Harry. He called me little and he's the one that can't solve problems with Malfoy without involving fist while I'm the one that can negotiate with the bastard!  
  
Ginny grabbed her bag just as she went out through the portrait whole. She marched through the halls and out to the lake. To her amazement, Malfoy was already there, waiting for her. In his hands was her journal, and it didn't look torn or disfigured.  
  
Ginny walked up to him and held out the bag, turned it upside down, and began to shake. Tons of letters fell out of the bag and onto the lake shore, when no more came out, Ginny replaced her bag back on her shoulder.  
  
Then she removed one last letter from her pocket and held it up. "This is the last letter that I have. Give me my journal, and I will give you this letter. If you don't give it to me, I can just copy them all again. Oh, and before you try it, I have learned the letter by heart now, and if you burn this one, then I can always rewrite it - in your handwriting."  
  
Malfoy glared at her. "Here. Take your journal. What's so bad with calling it a diary anyway? That's what all girls call it."  
  
"Well, they've never owned a diary that took them over and made them do horrible things, now have they?" Ginny asked hotly as she held out the parchment.  
  
"Sorry." Malfoy said softly and Ginny's eyes widened at that and as he reached out to grab the last letter, Ginny pulled her hand back.  
  
"What?" Ginny asked.  
  
"I said I'm sorry for what happened." Malfoy answered as he tried to grab the parchment again.  
  
"Why? It was your father that gave me the diary." Ginny asked, suddenly filled with suppressed anger as she flung the parchment at Malfoy and yanking back her journal.  
  
"That is why I'm sorry." Malfoy said in a low voice as he set the pile of letters on fire, and only kept the one that she threw at him. Ginny stared at him indecorously.  
  
"You've never been sorry before! Why now?" Ginny shouted at him. Why she was suddenly angry, confused her but she didn't care. She wanted to know.  
  
"Because I read your journal! And I realize that we have a lot in common." Malfoy shouted back at her, his eyes alit with fire.  
  
"You read it?" Ginny shrieked. Of course he read it! He's an insensitive jerk! The back of her mind spoke reason, but she just ignored the voice.  
  
"Yes, I read it. And-" Malfoy suddenly trailed off and began to walk off, but Ginny grabbed his arm to make him stay.  
  
"No, what? And what?" Ginny insisted as she held Malfoy's arm in her grip tightly.  
  
"And-" He seemed to be thinking of whether or not to say what he was going to say. Finally he finished his sentence, "I think that you aren't so bad anymore."  
  
"Wha-" But before Ginny could finish, Malfoy leaned down and kissed her on the lips. Ginny didn't back and only looked on with wide-eyes. As Malfoy pulled away, she only stood there gaping at what he had done.  
  
"Actually," Malfoy continued not looking at Ginny anymore, but more toward the sky, "I think you're one of the greatest people that I have ever known."  
  
Ginny still just stood there as if petrified. Finally she spoke, "Y- you insult my family for the longest, and suddenly you fall in love with me? You can't do that! You can't!"  
  
"Why can't I?" Malfoy asked calmly.  
  
"Because- because I have learned to hate you for seven years! Ever since Ron first met you, I've learned to hate you. And for you to come over here and kiss me- You- you're turning everything that I have known upside down!" Ginny took a deep breath as she finished.  
  
"Maybe it's time for you to try something new." Malfoy suggested as he began to walk off. Ginny just watched as he walked her mind swirling with thoughts. As he was about to reenter the castle, Malfoy shouted back at her, "Look in your journal!"  
  
And then the doors shut and all was silent. Ginny shakily opened up her journal, passing all of the pages where she had written, and finally came to new handwriting.  
  
One look at the note left for her, and only her, told her what she had wanted to know. And as the sun began to set behind the horizon, Ginny ran toward the castle, her mind set on finding a certain someone and telling them of her feelings toward him. And though that person may not know it yet, but what she felt was going to make that person very happy, she was sure of it. 


End file.
